Athletes
THE MATURATION OF JOE PYFER
Ascending Middleweight Discusses Renewed Connection To His Faith Ahead Of Saturday’s Main Event Clash In Seattle
As athletes progress in their careers, we focus almost exclusively on the development of their craft; the way they refine their skills, hone their weapons, and become more seasoned and savvier on the field of choice.
But one of the key elements that impacts that on-field development most is how they develop as a human being outside of their profession, and Joe Pyfer, who is poised to make the walk to the Octagon this weekend to face Israel Adesanya, is a far cry from the guy who first hit the UFC a couple of years ago.
When my colleague Zac Pacleb and I sat down with Pyfer in Philadelphia at the start of last month, the first question I asked him was “What do most people get wrong about you or misunderstand about you most?” and the Dana White’s Contender Series grad chuckled before explaining that people think he’s angry all the time, when that definitely isn’t the case.
The truth of that statement shone through clearly on Tuesday afternoon as he opened up about the man he is today.
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“It’s a big fight, and I’m excited for the opportunity, grateful for the opportunity, and I’m just excited to go out there and compete, say that I got to share the cage with him and see who’s better,” he said. “This game isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon.
“I lost the one main event that I’ve had with Jack — I just wasn’t the better guy that day —and then I came back, and I’ve put three, four wins or whatever it is (together). I’m in a pretty good position: I haven’t lost that much in my life; I’m a pretty decent fighter.
“This fight is completely different, though,” Pyfer added. “This is the upper echelon and my first taste at one of the best in the world, and I’m excited to see what I can do.”
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The previously irascible fighter was anything but on Tuesday. Dressed in a stone-washed red hoodie from GLO —God’s Love Overcomes — and speaking in a soft, measured tone, the 29-year-old middleweight looked more at peace than I can ever recall seeing him.
Gone was the angry kid who was constantly trying to show everyone that he was as good as he said he was and could find a way to get fired up about just about anything if he tried hard enough. In his place was someone with a completely different mindset and approach, one steeped in gratitude and rooted in faith, two things he believes have transformed the way he approaches his craft and will allow him to be his best whenever he steps into the Octagon.
“That I get to do this,” answered Pyfer, who credits his longtime girlfriend for his deepened relationship with Christ, when asked how his rediscovered faith has impacted his approach as a fighter. . “We’ve always said that before, those motivational things, and you always try to find what motivates you, but discipline is the most important because motivation dies.
“What it has done for me is really set me free because what’s the point in stressing myself out, burning myself out? You hear all these champions —and probably Izzy — who have been burnt out at some points because they wear the weight of the world of social media, what people expect from them; the judgements of the MMA community, which is harsh. I was a victim of them too, but I feel set free.
“I get to do this, and this is amazing,” he said. “I’m one of the best in the world, regardless. I get to fight one of the best in the world, and I don’t want this fight to be disrespectful, because I respect him. When we get in there, we gotta do what we gotta do, which is see who the better man is, and I’m all for that.
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“I just gotta stay in my prayers, have my relationship with the Lord, prioritize my soon-to-be wife, and create my family. It’s freedom, brother.”
Imbued with that sense of freedom, Pyfer has maintained a level-headed perspective when it comes to sharing the Octagon with the two-time former middleweight champion this weekend in Seattle.
When we sat down in February, Pyfer spoke candidly about how he looks at each opponent based on their record against one another, rather than what they have done prior to them sharing the cage, finding comfort in knowing they head into battle at 0-0 and believing that the unique blend of skills and attributes he carries with him into the Octagon make him a dangerous matchup for anyone in the middleweight division, the former titleholder very much included.
Joe Pyfer Breaks Down All His UFC Finishes
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Joe Pyfer Breaks Down All His UFC Finishes
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“I think what has really helped me is that he’s 0-0 against me —we’re both 0-0 against each other —and I’m not going to look at all his other performances as ‘Well he beat this guy that is really good and this guy that is really good,’” Pyfer explained, seated inside Webb Fitness & MMA. “He hasn’t beaten me, and I think I’m a unique person to be able to beat, and I’m gonna treat it like I do everything else.
“I do this every day, and he’s a human being that has air (in his lungs), blood (in his veins). He’s another normal human being that has done some really good stuff in there, so just don’t make him more than human, don’t make him more than what he is: he’s an MMA fighter just like me.”
Eight weeks later, Pyfer has dialed in that approach even more.
“His resume is amazing, and he has experience, and I’m the destruction, I’m a bulldozer, but that could be my fate too; that could get me in trouble,” he said. “I’m gonna stick to what makes me great and what makes me me. I’m gonna go out there, I’m gonna be violent, I’m gonna put the pressure on him, and I’m gonna take that space from him.
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“I’m not gonna idolize him —he’s a human being, just like I am. He breathes air, and he bleeds blood, so it’s fair game. That’s why this is an amazing sport because it could be anybody’s night. I thought he was better than Sean Strickland; he came up short; maybe he had an off night?
“We’ll see who shows up, but I think the freedom in my faith is not making any man bigger than what he is —just a man.”
For many, Saturday’s contest profiles as a potential changing of the guard moment, as while Pyfer enters on a three-fight winning streak and coming off a dominant showing in his UFC 320 win over Abus Magomedov, Adesanya arrives in the Pacific Northwest having lost three straight and four of his last five dating back to when he first dropped the middleweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in New York City.
That could very well be the case should Pyfer emerge victorious, as he enters the contest 10 spots behind “The Last Stylebender” in the middleweight rankings, but at this moment in his journey, the Contender Series grad is only concerned with being grateful for the opportunity and executing to the best of his abilities on Saturday night.
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“I’m very, very, very thankful for the position that I’m in; it could have been anybody else,” Pyfer said. “I’m probably —it’s not even probably: in my opinion, I’m not the most deserving of this fight, on paper, especially with the resume he has. I know people are being hard on him with four out of his last five are losses, but they’re all guys in the Top 5 still, and I’m not gonna be ignorant of that.
“That man was one of the greatest, and I loved his speech after he beat Alex Pereira in the second fight. I don’t look up to the man, but I look up to the man for his own journey, his own career.
“I don’t have to force a finish,” he continued. “I’m complete, I can grapple; I don’t have to stand there and bang. If Izzy gives me the takedown, I will shoot it. I have really high-level grappling, but it’s just a matter of can I put it together on the night.
Main Event Preview | UFC Seattle
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Main Event Preview | UFC Seattle
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“I’m excited for it. We have our game plan; we have a style we wanna try. We swing, and we miss or we swing and we hit a home run, but I feel like my maturity is what has helped me progress.”
Asked what he hopes to be able to say about himself on Saturday night following the contest, Pyfer again showed the impact of his renewed commitment to his faith and putting it at the fore, passing up the opportunity to speak about his career ambitions and opportunities should he earn another win in favor of something with an even greater value to him.
“After Saturday night? That I was able to handle everything good or bad with grace, honor, and class,” he said. “I don’t want to be a classless individual anymore. I don’t think that I was a good human being for 29 years — I’m 29 still, but I wanna be a better person.
“I want to impact the world in a positive way; there’s enough negativity out there. I’m gonna have my days, but if I can change a few people’s lives with coming to know Christ and God, then I feel like I’m a good soldier in the world.”
Zac Pacleb contributed to this story.
UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Pyfer took place live from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on March 28, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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